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Pictured left to right: Rotarian Becky Miller, Roland Dickey of Dickey's BBQ, and Chris Davis of the Dallas County Commissioners Court

"No great barbecue was ever achieved without enthusiasm" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was a mouth-watering meeting this week, as the Club welcomed current Dickey's BBQ patriarch Roland Dickey as the guest speaker.  His enthusiasm has, indeed, helped him to take the reins from his father, Dickey's BBQ founder Travis Dickey, and grow the company into the largest barbecue chain restaurant in the United States, operating in 30 states at 300 different locations.  Dickey, who now heads up the company's public relations department, told the Club how after his father's passing he took over the original Dickey's BBQ stand at US-75 & Henderson Ave. in Dallas.

Originally, the Dickey family owned and operated 13 company stores, but they had bigger dreams of expanding outside of Dallas.  They finally began franchising 18 years ago, when one loyal customer badgered Roland Dickey relentlessly, finally landing a purchase of the first Dickey's franchise -- all the way in Mesquite, Texas.  The company continued to expand, opening it's first out-of-state franchise in Hattiesburg, Mississippi a short time later.  Today, there are Dickey's BBQ stores literally from coast to coast, with the bulk of them being located in the south and southeast United States. 

Mr. Dickey kindly treated each of the Club members in attendance to a free copy of his family's cookbook, "Mr. Dickey's Barbecue Cookbook".  In it you'll find recipes for all the staples you're used to enjoying at Dickey's BBQ, but the true gems are the recipes for the off-the-menu Dickey family-favorites.  Many of the Club members stuck around after the meeting to meet Mr. Dickey personally, and have him sign their copies of his cookbook.